In The Garden: Filberts 101

In this week's 'In The Garden,' Caleb Johnson takes us in the classroom for "Filberts 101."

Posted: May. 1, 2018 8:07 AM

Posted By: Sean Cuellar

EUGENE, Ore -- Oregon's state nut is the filbert, but what do you really know about filberts, also known as hazelnuts?

In this week's 'In The Garden,' Caleb Johnson takes us in the classroom for "Filberts 101."

"It's a great tree. We have one of the best growing conditions for them. So there is lots of great Oregon farmers out there putting them in and selling them worldwide," said Caleb Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Garden Market.

Johnson says filberts should be treated like a fruit tree.

"You want to prune them back in the fall, after you've done your harvest. You want to get your dormant sprays on them to prevent insects and disease. And then you need two filbert trees, unless you happen to live next to an orchard. What I mean is, you need two different varieties. They need to cross pollinate each other to get a decent amount of nuts," added Johnson.

Johnson says it's important for anyone growing filberts to make sure to not overfertilize them or add too much compost. Doing so can contribute to big green leaves, but not a lot of hazelnuts.

"When you do get your hazelnut harvest, don't just crack them and eat them right out of the shell. They need to go through a drying process before you can eat them," said Johnson.

Johnson Brothers Garden Market is located at 91444 Coburg Road in Eugene.